Steel band clamp crimping tool



Jan. 12, 1960 L. M. FUREY 2,920,512

, STEEL BAND CLAMP CRIMPING TOOL Filed Jan. 7, 1958 ATTORNEY L as 35 BY I a2 34 36 3.9

2,929,512 Patented Jan. 12, 1960 United States Patent Ofiice 2,920,512 STEEL BAND CLAMP CRIMPING TOOL Lawrence M. Furey, Warwick, Va.

Application January 7, 1958, Serial No. 707,655

1 Claim. (Cl. 819.1) (Granted under Title as, US. code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon; i

The invention relates to crimping tools for crimping band clamps about the overlapped ends of a steel band to secure such ends together. More particularly, the invention is directed to a hand tool for this purpose.

The usual hand tool of this type provides two crimping jaws which are pivotally mounted and which swing through arcuate paths as they crimp the clamp. This structure is not considered to be entirely satisfactory because the pivoted arrangement requires too much force or effort to effect the crimping of a clamp.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved band clamp crimping tool.

A further object is to provide such a tool which includes a pair of crimping jaws which are relatively movable rectilinearly to crimp the clamp.

Other objects and advantages reside in the paricular structure of the invent-ion, the structure of the several elements of the same, as well as combinations and sub-combinations of such elements, all of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the attached drawing and to the following specification wherein the invention is shown, described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the invention with the jaws in the open position;

Figure 2 is a like view but shows the jaws closed about a crimped clamp;

Figure 3 is like view but shows the jaws open and partially disengaged from a crimped clamp;

Figure 4 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view, taken substantially on the plane of the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a transverse, vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view; and

Figures 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged, transverse sectional views of a band clamp showing three stages of the crimping operation.

Referring specifically to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate like parts in all views, 10 designates generally a housing formed of any suitable material. Housing 10 comprises two side walls 11 which are connected together at their lower edges by a floor 12. The back end of the floor 12 has mounted thereon a depending and forwardly facing folding jaw 13. Preferably jaw 13 is integral with the floor 12. Floor 12 is formed with a slideway 14 therein which extends longitudinally entirely through housing 10 and which is open at both ends. A slide 15 is freely slidable in the slideway 14.

Slide 15 comprises a front end 16 which is preferably formed with a hole 17 therethrough for a purpose to be apparent hereinafter. With the exception of the front end 16, the entire upper surface of the slide 15 comprises a series of rack teeth 18. Two laterally spaced rearwardly facing crimping jaws 19 depend from the slide '15 and preferably are'integral therewith. Obviously other forms and arrangements of the jaws are contemplated withi the scope of the invention. 1

Above the slideway 14, the walls 11 are spanned by a shaft 20 which is journalled therein and which mounts a ratchet gear 21 centrally thereof between a pair of spur gears 22 whose teeth mesh with the rack teeth 18 of the slide 15. The ratchet gear 21 is straddled by the furcations 23 of a bifurcated lower end of an actuating lever 24. The lower ends of the furcations 23 are journalled on the shaft 20. Of course, the ratchet gear 21 and spur gears 22 are keyed to shaft 20 for rotation therewith.

To rotate the shaft 20 there has been provided a pawl 25 which is pivoted between the furcations 23 above the ratchet gear 21 by a pivot pin 26 which spans such furcations. 'The pawl is provided with a finger piece 27' which projects forwardly of the housing 10. A leaf spring 28 bears on the pawl 25 and loads the same downwardly so that its tooth 29 is normally operatively engaged by the teeth of the ratchet gear 21.

A suitably slotted and apertured guard 37 of sheet material is secured atop the housing 10 by any suitable means such as the machine screws 38.

In operation, with the parts in the position of Figure 1, an uncrimped band clamp 30 is placed over two overlapped band ends 31, 32, best seen in Figures 7, 8 and 9. In the embodiment illustrated, the clamp 30 conforms to that illustrated in my copending application Serial Number 359,242, filed June 2, 1953. In brief it comprises the usual web, a conventional flange 33 and a longer flange 34. Long flange 34 is L-shaped and comprises a band embracing upper portion 35 and a laterally outwardly directed terminal portion 36. Terminal portion 36 includes a free end which projects laterally outwardly :of the crimped conection and comprises a pull tab 39 for disengaging the crimped clamp: 30 from the band ends 31, 32 when the connection has served its purpose.

To crimp the clamp 30, the operating lever or handle is swung to the left with pawl 25 operatively engaged with ratchet gear 21. This turns the latter as well as shaft 20 and spur gears 22 in a counterclockwise direction. The engagement of the spur gears 22 with the rack teeth 18 of the slide 15 moves the latter to the right and the housing 10 to the left so that the opposed jaws 13 and 19 move toward each other so as to fold and crimp the clamp 30 to the band ends 31, 32 and achieve the structure described in my copending application aforesaid. In this connection, it should be noted that the jaw 13 extends the entire length of the clamp 30 and is shaped as a thin wedge as shown to permit the laterally outwardly directed terminal portion 36 of the clamp to be subjacent to the band embracing portion 35 when the jaw 13 is withdrawn after folding the Z-fold to a substantially closed position. With this arrangement, the pressure of the connected band ends 31, 32 on the package, not shown, causes the clamp 30 to flatten the terminal portion 36 against the band embracing portion 35 in a manner readily understood. As clearly shown in Figures 3 and 9, the jaw 13 does not actually crimp the clamp. Instead, it acts as a folding jaw and provides a backing for the actual crimping which is done by the jaws 19.

To release the tool from the crimped clamp 30, the pawl 25 is disengaged by elevating the finger piece 27 with the thumb, Figure 3. The end 16 of slide 15 is then grasped by the other hand to pull the jaws 19' from the clamp. If the slide 15 tends to stick, a screwdriver or the like may be inserted in the hole 17 to pry the slide 15 loose. If desired, a reversible pawl and ratchet arrangement may be provided so that the jaws 13 and 19 can be disengaged by a reverse rotation of the parts.

Although the device shown is illustrated with a special type of clamp, it is understood that it may be used with all conventional clamps. At most only a slight modification of the jaw 13 would be required to adapt the invention to conventional clamps.

Moreover, while there has been shown and described what is now considered to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is understood that the invention is sus-' ceptible of other forms and expressions. Consequently, the invention is not limited to the single species shown and described hereinabove except as hereinafter claimed. I

A crimping tool for connecting steel band clamps to overlapped band ends, said clamps being of the type having a short conventional crimping flange and a relatively longer flange formed with an open Z-fold and providing,

a short upper band embracing portion and a relatively longer laterally outwardly directed terminal portion, said tool comprising a housing formed with a slideway therein, a slide slidable rectilinearly therein in opposite directions, a conventional band clamp crimping jaw carried by said slide in depending relation thereto and to said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,023,001 Bennetch Apr. 9, 1912 1,800,907 Schmid Apr. 14, 1931 1,897,511 Taylor Feb. 14, 1933 2,181,755 Adamson Nov. 28, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain I an. 2, 1940 

